Ben & Jerry's urged to use human breast milk in ice cream

Ben and Jerry's have been told by animal rights campaigners to stop using cow's milk for their ice cream - and use human breast milk instead.

Responding to the letter, Ben and Jerry's said: We applaud Peta's novel approach to bringing attention to an issue, but we believe a mother's milk is best used for her childPhoto: STUART CONWAY

By Jon Swaine

10:22AM BST 25 Sep 2008

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the company's co-founders, received a letter from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) claiming that the switch would lessen the suffering of dairy cows and improve the health of consumers.

"The breast is best!", its letter said. "Won't you give cows and their babies a break and our health a boost by switching from cow's milk to breast milk in Ben and Jerry's ice cream?"

It claimed cow's milk had been linked to "juvenile diabetes, allergies, constipation, obesity, and prostate and ovarian cancer".

Meanwhile, decreasing the pressure on cows to repeatedly get pregnant and produce milk would allow them to enjoy their lives, it added, lamenting that "after years of living in filthy conditions and being forced to produce 10 times more milk than they would naturally, [cows'] exhausted bodies are turned into hamburgers or ground up for soup".

In support of the letter, Tracy Reiman, Peta's executive vice-president, said: "The fact that human adults consume huge quantities of dairy products made from milk that was meant for a baby cow just doesn't make sense."

Responding to the letter, Ben and Jerry's said: "We applaud Peta's novel approach to bringing attention to an issue, but we believe a mother's milk is best used for her child."

The campaign group's request comes in the wake of news that a Swiss restaurant owner is seeking to purchase mothers' breast milk to use for its stews, soups and sauces.

Hans Locher, the owner of the Storchen restaurant in the exclusive Alpine resort of Winterthur, said: "We have all been raised on it. Why should we not include it into our diet?"